The present technology relates to an image processing apparatus that processes a fluorescence image captured by an imaging apparatus and to an image processing method.
Image processing apparatuses each of which captures an observation image of a fluorescence microscope by an imaging element and acquires it as electronic image data are used in the fields of, for example, medical science, biological studies, and examinations.
The observation image of the fluorescence microscope is an image of weak fluorescence. It is thus difficult to obtain a contrast (visual difference) between an image of a cell portion dyed with the fluorescence and an image of a background portion without the cell.
In this context, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-086031 describes a technique of black balance correction of increasing the contrast between the image of the cell portion and the image of the background portion by subtracting, from the observation image, a luminance of the background portion manually specified by a user such that the background portion is darkened.
In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2010-098719 discloses a technique for automatically performing white balance correction or black balance correction without the user manually specifying the background portion.